SCAD leader discusses details of new 17-story student housing off Indian Street

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – WTOC is getting an update on what will be the tallest building in downtown Savannah.

The Savannah College of Art and Design gave us this rendering of what will be a 17-story dorm building on Indian Street. It’s set to open next fall.

We first told you about the new dorm back in January, which is part of SCAD’s efforts to give students living space closer to their classroom buildings.

WTOC spoke with SCAD leaders to talk about what else they hope building the new student housing will accomplish.

What is now a bustling construction site, will in a little over a year’s time be SCAD’s newest residence hall. Standing 17 stories, the new dorm will have 800 beds, an event space, and dining and laundry facility.

SCAD leaders say the location of the new dorm is strategically important, too, giving the 2,300 students who have classes around the Indian Street corridor an option for a place to live.

“One thing that we found was, students who live on campus are more engaged, better connected, they miss fewer classes and they have higher GPAs,” said Vice President of SCAD Savannah & University Safety, John Buckovich.

Buckovich said the new dorm will also alleviate parking challenges for students, and positively impact the surrounding community.

“Our goal by 2025 is to have 50-percent of our student population live on campus. And what that does for the community is, it relieves that pressure in the local community for affordable rental housing, because so many of our students will live on campus.”

Buckovich said right now, about 90-percent of first year students live on campus. He adds they’re pushing for an even higher percentage by next fall.

As for the design and construction, Buckovich said SCAD went through the same permitting process as any other building project, including an additional, but not required, archaeological survey of the site.

The height requirements of the City’s Historic District also don’t apply to the new dorm, as it sits just outside the boundaries.

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